Mark Skaife reckons “two or three” other manufacturers are in talks to enter the category, and that at least one of them will join. Garry Rogers openly admits to talking with Chrysler, and he thinks they’re very serious about it, and I’ve also heard rumours that Hyundai are definately in (and have been for some time), and that Audi might be interested. I suppose the race now is to come to an agreement to enter and to get a good team; I reckon Tekno Autosports, Brad Jones Racing and Garry Rogers Motorsport could all be swayed, while the single-car teams like Tony d’Alberto Racing and Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport could be merged to form another team – but the catch is that with Nissan joining Kelly Racing, the split between Holden and Ford has gone from 17-11 to 13-11, and of all the teams that could easily defect to another manufacturer, most of them run Holdens; if Tekno, BJR and GRM all crossed the floor, there would be just six Holdens (Triple 8, HRT, Lucas Dumbrell and Walkinshaw). So I very much imagine that the Powers That Be at Holden and Ford are going to try and get as many teams as possible to commit to their chassis in 2013. I suppose VESA could open up one or more of the four RECs they hold in reserve so that the new manufacturers can have a presence on the grid, but that would still require them to work with an existing team.

It won’t be Infiniti yet as one of the requirements for CotF is that the manufacturer sells 10,000 cars in Australia, and I don’t think Infiniti sells any cars in Australia yet, just imports.

I’ve heard Infiniti are coming to Australia in 2013, and that they could use V8 Supercars as a platform for that expansion. I don’t know what the CotF regulations have to say about that, though.

I can’t see Holden and Ford splashing the cash too much to keep mid-level teams in, they aren’t in the best financial positions to do so. If Holden can keep T8 and HRT, they basically have two of the three most successful teams in the field, so that would be enough exposure. Ford has FPR, SBR and DJR, and that’s probably the best they can hope for in the near future.

Team Vodafone is the crucial one, they can basically demand a huge price due to their success, and have proven that they will change manufacturer if the right offer is made.

I imagine Chrysler will enter under the Dodge brand using the Charger body or possibly the 300C Chrysler body. Hyundai would probably use the i45 or maybe the Elantra? I think more likely the former. Audi would almost certainly enter using the A4. But I cannot think what Nissan would use, it would have to be the Maxima based on their current range unless they bring out a 4 door GTR next year. Infiniti don’t really offer a lot of choice either, with it basically being a fancier Maxima.

I imagine Chrysler will enter under the Dodge brand using the Charger body or possibly the 300C Chrysler body.

They have said that if they were join, they would use the 300C.

Hyundai would probably use the i45 or maybe the Elantra? I think more likely the former.

I’ve heard the i45 is the most likely choice.

Audi would almost certainly enter using the A4.

I’d say they would be more likely to use the A8, which has a V8 engine. Although having a V8 engine is not a prerequisite of the base model of car, Audi would probably want to use one with a V8 engine to begin with for consistency.

I cannot think what Nissan would use, it would have to be the Maxima based on their current range unless they bring out a 4 door GTR next year.

Pundits are tipping the Nissan Altima, which will replace the Maxima some time this year or in 2013. As far as I know, there are no plans for a four-door GT-R. And I think it would be a very poor choice; the GT-R is the spirtual successor to the Skylines, and the last time Nissan was in V8 Supercars (then known at the Australian Touring Car Championship), they used the R32 – and it didn’t end well.

Infiniti don’t really offer a lot of choice either, with it basically being a fancier Maxima.

If Nissan were to enter with Infiniti, then they would probably do so with something from the M range, probably the M37.

I don’t understand all the talk about which car each manufacture will enter? The V8 Supercars at the moment are virtually the same. They use racing engines which are nothing like the road cars, and underneath there are no parts which come from the road car. The only thing that makes them different is the body, which is the only thing that really distinguishes the Holden Commodore from the Ford Falcon. And isn’t the ‘Car of The Future’ the one make with just the shell of each brand on top?
Nothing like the old Touring Car days, where the race cars were basically tuned versions of the road cars. Which is why the Nissan GTR smashed the competition back in the 90’s.
I would rather see the actual road cars on the track, wouldn’t that be better marketing for the manufacturers? I know that certain models would have an advantage, but then they could try and assist the cars that were at a disadvantage maybe?
But in the end, I guess what would just make it a GT series.

I’ve just seen a press release photo from Nissan in regards to the 2013 challenger, they are going to be using the Altima and i’ve got to say, it looks rather nice. Unfortunately I can’t share the photo as it’s not in my possession I just saw it on someone else’s computer who is involved in V8 Supercars, it’s part of an article so I suspect we shall see something within the next couple of days.